Fragmented
by Cecily Rose Midnight
Summary: For the past 75 years, Ganondorf has been breaking out of the Sacred Realm, and both the bearers of Courage and Wisdom have been reborn. But, despite having a mission to save Hyrule from Ganon's clutches, can these two fate driven children grow up to be something more than Courage and Wisdom, and learn who they really are? Or are they only meant to be the tools of fate?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

**Waste Away My Love, Farewell My Sweetheart**

It was a cold, brisk morning, stars still shined through the purple skies, but faded many hues as the sun proclaimed its first ray over the rising hill. A soul piercing wail echoed through the gray, unloving walls, dying out as it fell through a deep stairwell. No one would ever hear it, for the chilling cry came from the tallest tower, in the highest room, a place where none dared, nor cared to travel to. Some say the tower is cursed, and though curses are only superstition, sometimes, only sometimes, do they have a shred of truth to them. This night, this painstakingly long night exposing all the monstrosities of this universal, became the evidence any creature with a heartbeat would need to know how a single room can be haunted by a curse. A scream of pain flooded the dimly lit room, as a new mother gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The child bawled and flailed its arms; the mother knew instantly that this child was a strong one, too strong for her. The mother cleaned the child by herself; she wasn't going to let anyone touch her child, not yet. She unbuttoned her gown, allowing the baby to feed from her breasts, and smiled when the baby fell asleep afterwards.

"My woman warrior, black dove, Princess Zelda…" the mother, Queen Sorae, softly cooed, brushing a sticky lock of hair on her child's fragile head.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Queen Sorae's friend, Impa, who had helped her with the birth, questioned her, as if Impa was an investigator, and Queen Sorae was under high suspicion of a crime. She might as well have been though, for dying before a child can ever meet their mother is treason itself, treason against one's own kin. Sure, it was a wrong-doing only fate could commit, but knowing one's fate was also an offence against life.

"Yes, I do," Queen Sorae told Impa, letting her voice become strong once more, not as weak as she allowed it to when she looked at her wee babe.

The exhausted mother sat with her child at her side, the blankets around her dirty and dried with blood. Feeling sick and weakened, the queen placed her child in a bassinet that was set next to the bed. With her weak fingers and worn-out wrists, Sorae swaddled her child in a clean, wool blanket, and then pulled away. All her life she had heard of mothers dying through child birth, sometimes even living for a while afterwards before falling ill and dying. She wished she could live to see Zelda grow to be a beautiful woman, but the queen knew she wouldn't live to see such things. This was her fate – and knowing shattered her. As a young girl, she had seen birth's just like her own, for her own heritage was all women and hot deserts.

Queen Sorae looked at the ceiling and began to cry, and only did the tears stop when a vision interrupt her moment of weakness. Her family line had the Sight, but it was soon dwindling down without pure blood, and incest was deemed not only immoral, but physically impossible in her own clan, for man's seed was needed to plant a child in a woman's womb.

Throughout life, Sorae had only had five visions, every single one of importance, but not as important as this one. Her first vision was of her mother dying, and Sorae could do nothing to prevent it, for it was sickness, and her mother willingly accepted her fate with a smile on her face, and died with it plastered on her lips. The second was of her younger sister getting married, which happened, surprisingly- weddings were not common in her clan. The third was of her older sister having twins, which, too, had happened. The fourth was of Sorae meeting a gallant man, who had ended up being the King, and the child in its bassinet next her was proof that her sight was never wrong. This vision that bothered her was the fifth, and maybe, just maybe, it would act as a pillow to the painful blow of her death.

The vision started out with her child, Zelda, being held out before a crowd of joyous people; this made Queen Sorae smile, for she would never see it, and though it pained her, she would forever hold the image to her heart. It then switched to a small blonde haired boy, meeting another, taller blonde haired boy- sure, it was odd, but she had no right to complain. Then the vision converted to two taller, older blonde haired boys, and Sorae suspected that they were the children from the previous scene. The two were both looking at one of the boy's hand, which was glowing with a golden light. Sorae knew what this meant. The scene changed again to one boy unconscious on the ground, and another child was fighting a terrible monster. The youth defeated the monster and ran to the unconscious child. He touched the unconscious boy's throat, and it looked like he gave a sigh of relief. Then his hand started to glow, with a golden light as well. This was confusing. If the two held the power of the Goddesses, shouldn't one of them be a girl? The vision switched yet again to a golden light before the two, except one of them seemed more like a girl now than a boy, and it confused Sorae more than ever. The scene switched once more, and there stood her daughter, looking back at her, and her daughter smiled at her. Instantly, Sorae understood exactly what was going to happen in Zelda's life. And in that moment, Sorae knew that her Zelda was strong, and she knew that her daughter would be fine, even without her mother to get her through the rough patches. The vision ended, and Sorae looked over at her sleeping babe.

"What did you see?" Impa inquired, and Queen Sorae bowed her head.

"Everything," Sorae replied, and turned to look at her baby. "Oh Zelda, you're going to grow up to be a fine woman. You'll fall into chaos, and walk out of it with nothing but bruises and scrapes. Turmoil will forever be a part of your life, but you will tame turmoil as if it was a wild horse. I wish I had the strength that you were born with. If I did, you wouldn't grow up without a mother, and I could raise you to be the woman you are meant to be. But, unfortunately I don't, and you'll grow up under the ruins I will unintentionally create," Sorae said to her daughter from her bed. "I can't raise you myself, but I'll forever watch over you, until you stand before me as the woman you are meant to be."

"Shall I get his majesty?" Impa had asked, and when the queen nodded, she ran to the king to tell him the good news, and came back with King Darrik, who sat at his beloved wife's side. But when he came to the room, King Darrik found out she was dying, she couldn't recover from childbirth.

"It's a girl Darrik. I named her Zelda, like the princesses of the family line," Sorae gave him a small smile, which faded as quickly as it had come. "You know her fate is sealed." Queen Sorae looked at him with worry. "As is mine…" She smiled at the King, who looked at her with concern.

"No! I can save you both! I can save this land!" Derrek yelled, and in doing so, he woke up Zelda. The babe cried, and Derrek looked upon his daughter in confusion. He didn't know how to feel about her. The innocent child was going to take his beloved's life, and yet, she was his child, his one true heir, his only daughter, something he should cherish. "I'll get every healer in the land, they will make you better. As for her," he paused as Sorae gave him a look, and then sighed, "Zelda, I'll hide her as a boy, so her fate won't happen." Derrek smiled nervously at his wife, lips twitching, and forehead perspiring, but Queen Sorae didn't return her husband's crazed smile.

"You can't hide her from destiny, Darrik. The fate of her soul has been predestined since ancient times." Queen Sorae told him, and motioned for him to sit next to her. She knew he didn't believe her, but that was okay. "Just take care of her, okay?" The queen told Darrik, a tear running down her cheek as she grabbed his hand and brushed it against her face. King Darrik wiped away her tear with his thumb, and then gently kissed her hand. He placed his forehead against hers, and kissed her on the lips.

"I will. I'll take care of her," Darrik said, and cried. He sat by her bedside holding her hand, sometimes shedding a tear, and Sorae would say comforting words. Then she fell asleep, and her breathing shortened, taking in sharp, painful breaths until the time had deemed her life void.

Queen Sorae was dead.

King Derrek was going to take care of Zelda, but he had plans for the young princess. He introduced her to Hyrule as a boy, Prince Alexendar, as he planned. His daughter was his last connection to his young wife, Sorae, and Derrek intended to hide her from her fate. Derrek couldn't imagine losing her as well. The kingdom rejoiced for the King's heir, but mourned for the wonderful Queen Sorae. At first King Derrek resented the child for taking his wife away from him, but knew that the child was innocent, and no one was to blame. Still, he told Zelda's nurse-maid, Impa, to take care of her for him. As a servant of the Goddess, Impa was obligated to take care of the youth, and soon began to enjoy taking care of her, while the King looked upon them in envy. He sat watched his daughter grow up with grieving eyes, and eventually he felt that there was no way to reach her. A rift had grown between them, and he didn't know how to build a bridge between them. Soon he determined that it was best if he watched over her from a far, for she must hate him. The years King Derrek watched Zelda grow up without him were spent in misery.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Riots and Twigs**

A decade later…

Zelda looked up at the coarse walls that held her in captivity. They were her jailers, the owners of the white dove, and Zelda intended to defy them. Zelda scaled the ivy growing on the outer walls of the castle, keeping a firm grip on the stems and bricks underneath. It hurt her hands, but, as always, it was worth it. Once she got to the top, she grabbed the nearest tree branch of a maple tree that grew next to the castle and weaved through the mess of coffee colored branches and russet tinted leaves. As she reached for a branch above her to keep balance, she grimaced as her fingers began to slip and was sent hurtling to the ground. She landed on her butt, with a leaf stuck in her chin length blonde hair and a broken branch she had attempted to grab stuck in her hands.

"Ow…" Zelda mumbled, brushing the leaves out of her cropped hair and throwing the stick away. Her fingers intertwined with the strands of jade grass when she pushed herself off the ground, letting the very majesty of Hyrule slip through her fingers. Zelda patted her arms and legs, checking for any cuts. 'Uh-oh,' she thought when she noticed a big tear in her sleeve. 'Impa's going to kill me…' Zelda thought, but then shrugged it off. She was too preoccupied with the fact that she had snuck out of the castle. The Black Dove was nothing to be trifled with.

With a whoop of excitement, she went racing off towards the castle gates, to the outside world. But before she could truly be free, she had to pass through Castle Town, a place she hated even more than her own father, her most pathetic liege. Castle town alone was crowded and dirty, two things Zelda despised, for her own home had always been clean and smelled like fresh flowers, and to top it off, she didn't see the servants much anyway- though she did spend her days in the library often, reading past curfew by candlelight when possible. Unlike the castle itself, wild dogs ran about and stray cats mewed to anyone for a scrap of food. She felt sorry for the creatures; they didn't have homes or families to take care of them. Zelda shuddered at the thought of being homeless, and hated the fact that being homeless was common in her kingdom.

Zelda slowly walked through the crowd of adults around her, who were going about their daily lives, and she tried to avoid drawing attention to herself. Throughout her life, she had always paid attention to detail, almost to a point where it was ridiculous, which is why she was so attentive to a group of boys hanging out in an alleyway, and a lone boy in green sitting against a wall not too far from the group. Suddenly, one of the taller kids in the group of boys turned around, noticed the kid by himself, and smiled.

"Look, there he is! The little tyke himself!" A tall boy with black hair yelled, and ran over to a boy with blonde hair. "Nice hair squirt!" The taller boy laughed, but the green boy just ignored him.

"Yeah, nice hair!" Another boy commented, and ran to the taller boy, a group following him.

"Leave me alone, Fletcher." The green boy said, and continued to lean against the wall.

"With hair as blonde as yours, your parents must mistake you for a girl!" Fletcher laughed.

_'This is stupid, laughing at a boy just because of his hair. They're just making fun of him because he doesn't hang out with them. Not like I blame him._' Zelda thought. _'Anyway, this isn't any of my business. I should just go along with my day as if this didn't happen,_' she continued her thought, but for some reason, she couldn't pull herself away from the scene. Vigilante's had no business in her kingdom, nor in her own mind.

But lately, Zelda had begun asking herself whether or not she could be this princess, for all her life she asked herself if she could be a prince, but once never asked if she could be a princess. And now, she was asking herself if she could skip the royalty, and just be a hero, be something more than politics or bucked shoes and corsets. Though, before she could fully be swept into the musings she played with before sleep, her thoughts were redirected to the actions of the boys in front of her.

"I don't know my parents." The green boy retorted, spitting his words out like a fly caught in his mouth.

"Oh, now orphan boy is crying about how he doesn't have parents! Hahahaha! Waaah, Waaah!" Fletcher mocked the green boy, and the green boy clearly looked agitated.

_'Mocking somebody because they don't know their parents is just cruel,_' Zelda thought angrily, restraining herself from getting involved. Of all people, she would understand his predicament the most. _'Adding insult to injury is dirty._'

"Shut up…" The green boy mumbled, and looked away- Zelda couldn't tell if this angered him, or made him wistful.

"What did you say?" Fletcher demanded, suddenly angry, and the green boy turned to look at him.

"I said **'shut up**', got a problem with that?" The green boy demanded from Fletcher.

Fletcher then pulled the green boy up by his shirt collar, obviously furious, in a cocky 'I'm too cool for school' kind of way. "You don't tell me to shut up, you got that?" He punched the green boy in the face, and suddenly Zelda couldn't restrain herself from getting involved anymore.

"Put 'im down!" She shouted, and all of the boys turned to look at the young prince who dared to yell at their leader.

"Oy! Another blondie!" One of the boys in the group yelled out, and they all snickered.

"A blondie alliance!" Another boy yelled, and even the group leader, Fletcher, smiled.

"Who're you?" Fletcher demanded, throwing the green boy down to the ground.

"Name's Alyx. Who're you?" She questioned him in the same cocky tone he used on everyone else. If she was going to act as a boy, she was going to do it correctly, not mix up her real name and her fake name, and sure as heck not mess up her own genders.

"Your doom," Fletcher laughed, and lunged at Zelda, but being quick and deft as she was, she dodged him, but left out her foot so she'd trip him. And, as Zelda knew, he did. Fletcher turned to look at her, taking in deep breaths, and shot her eye daggers.

"Are you just gonna sit there, or are you actually going to fight?" Zelda provoked him. She prided herself on her ability to manipulate people. Or maybe the people she used were easily manipulated. Either way, it was fun.

"I don't fight like you do. I fight like a man," Fletcher stood up, and looked at her.

"And I don't pick on people who are weaker than me," Zelda told him, and Fletcher just stood there, astonished by the bold youth who dared to talk back to him. The group of boys gasped, but watched intently, and Zelda smiled. She definitely knew how to put on a show.

After Fletcher got his wits together, he raced to her, but this time Zelda didn't dodge. Instead, she used her head. Literally. She head butted him in the stomach, and Fletcher fell backwards. Then she flew down upon him, sitting on his stomach so she could punch him; and she managed to get a few punches in, before Fletcher pushed her off of him, and began attacking her like a savage animal.

Within seconds, Zelda was throw in defense mode, trying to keep this wild beast off of her. Fletcher bit her arms until they bled, and scratched her face as if he had claws, resulting in three bloody scrapes against her left cheek. Fletcher slapped her in the face, leaving a red mark in the shape of a hand on her right cheek. Fletcher punched her in the stomach until she coughed, her lungs out of fresh air and barely living off of the tiny molocules of oxygen in the air, choking on the new atoms of carbon dioxide. And after the dirty deeds were done, he curled his grimy fingers around her throat, friction brewing between the walls of her throat, every last shred of air and noise she could ever make now stifled by her own being.

And as if it were magic, she felt Fletcher being pulled off of her by someone, and she thought she saw someone punching him, probably the blonde boy Fletcher was picking on. But her own eye sight now becoming hazy and distorted, she barely noticed that the group of boys had started running away. Smiling at her small victory, Zelda slipped into unconsciousness, a deep peaceful sleep awaiting her.

She awoke in an unfamiliar place; the dirt beneath her told her such things. Zelda would never be able to tell exactly what time it was, but all she knew that it was night fall. _'Oh goddesses, I should've been home before sundown,_' Zelda thought in a panic, frantically sitting up, before falling back down. _'What is wrong with me? My body doesn't feel right, it… hurts_.'

"I see yer awake. Careful, Fletcher got'cha pretty bad," A voice said behind her, and Zelda sat up. She felt sick, and turned away from where they sat to vomit.

"Ugh," she groaned, wiping her mouth with her arm. '_Hopefully I'll remember to wash this arm later…_' she thought, while someone was patting her on the back. Zelda turned around to see it was the boy with blonde hair she defended. He had a black eye.

"Oh goddess, you got hurt! Are you okay?" She asked, deep voiced and hoarse throated, but still concerned and the boy chuckled.

"I'll be fine. It's just another battle scar," the boy replied, grinning, obviously proud of his wounds. "Now you on the utter hand, me thinks we'd betta' bandage up yer arms. Take off yer shirt so I can have a betta' look at'cha 'kay?" The green boy said, and Zelda obeyed, blushing a little in sheer awkwardness. The whole situation, she felt, was awkward. After unbuttoning the collar, her fingers glazed over the buttons on her stomach, and with ease she then pulled one sleeve off one arm, and couldn't pull the other sleeve off. Zelda began frantically shaking her arm in a terrible attempt to pull of the other sleeve, softly crying _'It won't come off_!' The green boy snickered, and then began to laugh hysterically at Zelda, who looked at him in confusion.

"What's so funny?" She asked him, and then ripped the sleeve to get it off her arm.

"Yer attempt ta get yer sleeve off when ya could've just unbuttoned yer wrist cuffs." The green boy chuckled, but then got his wits together, and pulled Zelda's arm to him, the Black Dove's injured wing now sullied with another birds touch.

"Ow!" Zelda exclaimed, and the boy mumbled a simple 'sorry.'

"So, tell me 'bout yerself. I'd like ta hear 'bout the boy who dared ta stand up ta Fletcher," The boy commented, slightly twisted her arm to get a better look, which made Zelda wince. She heard the boy click his tongue like a healer or old crone, and within seconds he stared at her. "This is the part where ya talk," he said slowly, enunciating his words, and when Zelda just stared at him, he started talking. "Boy, do you lack social skills," he said sarcastically, and sighed. "I guess I'll start. The name's Link," he said, spit on his free hand and stuck it out towards her, grinning mischievously.

Zelda knew instantly that she'd like this kid. She liked his country accent. Link had short blonde hair, and blue eyes, and tannish skin. Something about him reminded Zelda of someone, but she couldn't recall who. '_Why does he seem so familiar_?' Zelda asked herself, before answering Link's question.

"Alexendar," Zelda replied, and shook Link's hand, pulling her hand and wiping it as quick as possible.

"Like the prince?" Link quired.

"Not like the prince, I am the prince," Zelda answered in irritation. After people learned she was the prince, they started kissing up to her, as if she were the Goddess herself.

"Sounds like you don't like the gig," Link commented. "Did the servants piss ya off? Or goddess forbid, did they fluff yer pillows wrong?" Link sounded as if he was mocking her, and she sat there more stunned by his reaction than by his actual words.

"No," she commented angrily after a long pause, "but if you're going to act rude, then I'll leave," she told him after a moment, and stood up.

"Wait. I was jokin'. Plus, ya really shouldn't go anywhere at night, it's dangerous. And it's indecent ta walk around without a shirt on," Link told her, and held up her shirt.

"I guess you're right," she said, and sat back down.

"Of course I am," Link said, and grabbed a rag, pulled her arm close to him so he could clean the wounds. There was a long silence, before Link clicked his tongue again, as if to break the silence. "So, how old are ya?" Link asked, wiping the rag along the bite marks.

"Eleven. How old are you?" She asked him, and Link let go of her arm.

"Eleven, but I'll turn twelve in the summer, June 17 ta be exact," Link said, and dipped the rag in a bucket of water. "Here's a question for ya. Why did'ja decide ta get yer royal nose inta mah business?" Link questioned her and Zelda's face blushed a deep red. How did he get under her skin so quickly?

"I couldn't stand there and let him harass you. I don't care much for bullies," Zelda said, and Link let her pull her arm back to her chest.

"So ya leaped inta the lion's pit without thinkin'," Link said thoughtfully as he grabbed some bandages, wrapping them around her arms. "Stupid." He said, and flicked her forehead. "But, not too different from me."

"I didn't see you doing anything about it!" Zelda hollered at him.

"I was assessin' the situation, and then I was gonna handle it like an adult. Ya always walk on egg shells around Fletcher, and if yer not careful, ya'll crack one," Link told her, grabbing her next arm and wrapping it in bandages. "And in yer case, ya cracked a dozen." Link let go of her arms. "By the way, I'm not weaker than Fletcher, I just don't like to fight unless I have ta," he commented, and Zelda could almost hear a tone of sadness in his voice. "I can't do anything fer yer bruises," Link poked at the bruise that had formed on Zelda's cheek. "Those will heal in their own time. I can clean the scratches on yer face, but I can't do anything else. I'm no healer," Link admitted.

"Then what are you?" Zelda asked him, and Link smiled.

"Just anutter kid on the streets," Link answered, and began to wash her face with the rag. He noticed Zelda looking at him in the corner of her eyes, and he grinned that odd, goofy grin of his.

"So, you know where I'm from: an ivory tower. My question is: where are you from?" Zelda asked him, and Link shook his head.

"Good question. I'm not sure where I was born, but I've spent a good portion o' my life travelin', and wound up here. Though, I'm not too fond of Castle Town. Once I get a chance, more like when I have the money, I'm moving ta Lake Hylia," Link said, and smiled wistfully. "Maybe there I'll get a clue about my family," he mumbled, and Zelda was stunned. She never met someone who preferred Lake Hylia to Castle Town. Link had more in common with her than anyone else she knew, excluding Impa.

"Maybe, it's a big place," She told him, smiling, and Link dropped the rag; his mouth was gaping open and his eyes were wide in curiosity.

"You've been there?" He asked in curious excitement.

"Not much, but yeah. My father likes to visit it, it was the place where he met my mom. When I'm there, I feel like she's there too. I know it sounds crazy, I mean, I never met her, but I can't deny what I feel," Zelda replied, and looked away.

"I understand, I've felt something like that too. Could'ja, maybe… tell me what it's like there?" Link asked her shyly, and Zelda graciously did.

"The water seems as if it goes on forever, but you know that it ends. It's beautiful to look at during the day, because the sunlight shines against the surface of the water, and it's… heaven. As if the Goddess herself was smiling down on you," Zelda told him, and was lost in wonder, just like Link. She shook herself out of the lovely state, and slipped on her shirt. "Well, I'd best be getting back. Thanks for the bandages and stuff," Zelda said nonchalantly, which shook Link out of his daze.

"Wait, I'll take ya back to the castle. I can't have the prince scraped up more than he already is," Link commented, and then messed up Zelda's hair, which bothered her.

"Hey!" Zelda yelled at him, and Link laughed. Somehow she knew that Link would become something special to her, but what?

They talked the entire way back to the castle, and once they were just about to go up to the front gates, Zelda shook her head. "Not that way. Gotta sneak in," she led him to the maple tree and climbed up, with Link close on her heels. "Now you know a way to get in whenever you want," she told him, in hopes he'd visit. Zelda was always eager to have friends. "As long as you can climb ivy."

"Piece o' cake," Link said.

"Well see you later!" Zelda whispered, and slowly climbed down the wall, with Link watching.

"See ya later, Alex," Link said. Once down on flat ground, she waved to him, and watched him slip into darkness. She slipped into the castle like a cat, and stepped lightly. Zelda soon found herself in front of her door, quietly opened it, and quietly closed it. Finally, she was safe, she hadn't even been caught! With adrenaline in her system, she happily turned away from the door, only to have to swallow her happiness down, because Impa sat unhappily on her bed.

"Thought you were pretty crafty, getting away. How'd you get out now? Slip through a small hole somewhere in the courtyard? Found your way through the sewers? Hmm?" Impa asked Zelda impatiently.

"I'm not telling you," Zelda said. If she told Impa, she'd never see Link again. Zelda would die if that happened. "Besides, I'm back anyway, what's all the fuss about?" Zelda asked innocently. But Impa wasn't as easily manipulated as most of the servants.

"You know what I'm upset about. Don't pretend to be innocent. If your father knew about you sneaking out-" Impa began to rant, but Zelda cut her off.

"If my father knew about me sneaking out, he wouldn't care! He never wanted me in the first place. He wanted a son! And if mother hadn't died, he would most likely have one by now. He's stuck with me, and that's that," Zelda yelled at Impa, and Impa stared her down with her fiery red eyes.

"You ungrateful child! You don't know what you're talking about! You don't know the full story!" Impa yelled back at Zelda, and Zelda was stunned for a moment. 'What does she mean "the full story"? Could it be… that there is more than meets the eye here?' Zelda thought pensively.

"Then tell me the full story," Zelda said to Impa, and Impa looked at Zelda. Impa's mouth was slightly open, as if she was going to say something, but she never did say anything about the subject.

"You're not old enough," Impa said quickly. "I won't tell you until you're older. Now go to bed. Busy day tomorrow," Impa said, skirting around the subject.

'What was that about?' Zelda asked herself, then shrugged. She took off all her day clothes, and put on her night shirt. Afterwards, she promptly fell onto her bed, and fell asleep to the thoughts of Lake Hylia, and maybe even Link at her side.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Bittersweet Memories**

For the entire month, Zelda had visited Link almost every day. Even if she could only see him a short time, she'd still go. The two became fast friends, and the day came when she couldn't visit him. Zelda hated it. Link made her days interesting, and now they were taking away the best part of her life. It felt like her heart was being ripped in two.

'_Does he feel this strongly as well, or is it just me?_' Zelda doubted herself.

Zelda sat down in her chair, looking at her teacher, Sir Kyn, in curiosity. He was talking but his words were going in one ear and out the other. '_His head is so… big. If I got a giant needle, could I pop it?_' Zelda thought to herself, and when Sir Kyn was turned around, Zelda pretended her finger was a gigantic needle and pretended she was poking his head with it. Then she made explosion noises, and collapsed against her chair as if in agony. Sir Kyn turned around to look at her in exasperation, and Zelda peeked out at him through her chin length hair. '_Oops_,' Zelda thought, and mumbled 'sorry' to him. Sir Kyn rubbed the bridge of his nose, and politely asked her where he lost her attention.

"Um… the beginning?" Zelda told him, in an innocent voice as Sir Kyn sat down.

"I've told it to you three times already. Three times!" Sir Kyn cried out, and covered half of his face with his hand. His visible eye was closed, but he suddenly opened it. "This will be the last time I explain this, so listen up Alex," he said, and Zelda sat up straight. "Starting tomorrow, you will learn the arts of weaponry. You will learn to properly use a sword and shield, as well as use a bow and arrow. Understand?"

"I'll have to use a sword?!" Zelda cried out. She never liked swords, she wasn't a fan of the broad edges, the weight and the length. Though they were beautiful, they were deadly. Zelda preferred the smooth and sleek look of a bow and arrow, and if it must be double edged, it had to be a dagger.

"Yes, you'll have to use a sword," Sir Kyn told her, and his hand slid down from his face, and turned away from Zelda. "You really didn't believe you were going to be a useless child your entire life, did you?" Sir Kyn asked her, and then turned back to her. Zelda was silent for a moment, and swallowed down her surprise, composing herself to seem stronger.

"I didn't think it'd be so soon, Kyn," Zelda heard the strong part of herself say. "Plus, I'm the prince, shouldn't I just learn politics?"

"Well, for one, you're not like most kids, you're mature for your age. And soon to be kings need to be experienced in all sorts of fields; the people don't want a idiotic monarch ruling their society. Besides, you don't have much choice anyway; it's by order of the King Derrek himself," Sir Kyn replied, and stood up. He adjusted his belt and looked down at Zelda. "Today you are excused from your lessons. You start early tomorrow morning," he said, and turned around and started walking away, but then turned around for a moment. "By the way, where'd ya get the scars on your face?" Sir Kyn questioned Zelda, and her hands flew to her face. She had almost forgotten they were there.

"Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Kyn. It'll get burnt, or worse, bitten off," Zelda retorted, and made biting motions with her teeth.

Sir Kyn chuckled, and Zelda suspected a hint of fear in it. "Alright, I'll leave the subject alone. Too bad that you ruined your pretty face," he commented, and walked away laughing.

'_What did he mean by pretty face? As I recall, I looked like a boy, and boys aren't pretty…_' Zelda thought, and sighed as she pulled the longer strands of her hair behind her ears. She thought about the her life's troubles, and almost cried, but held back her tears; she had learned all her life that boys don't cry, but ended up running to her room and throwing herself onto her bed. She sat there for a moment, just crying into her pillow. But while she cried, she didn't hear her door open and close.

"My, my, my. Aren't you quite the melodramatic one?" Zelda heard Impa say, and turned around to see her nurse-maid standing over her, with her arms crossed, and casting a tall shadow over her bed. Impa's white hair shone in the sunlight, and her already dark eyes seemed even darker because it was covered in shadow. Zelda couldn't tell what her expression was.

"I have every right to be," Zelda told her. Zelda used the fact that she was a girl as an excuse frequently, and she decided she'd use that excuse again. But Impa, as always, saw through all her tricks.

"Don't use that excuse with me again. I won't be manipulated by you," Impa said sternly, and Zelda sniffled. Impa's stance seemed to soften, and Impa's sat down on the bed next to Zelda. "You know, there are very few people who look good while crying, and you're not one of them," Impa whispered, and brushed Zelda's hair out of her face. "So don't cry anymore. I don't like to see the princess with puffy eyes," she continued, and Zelda laughed. Zelda hugged Impa, for she was like a mother to her, and Impa smiled. "It'll be alright, this is all for the best," Impa told Zelda said softly, and Zelda let go of her.

"Is it Impa? Don't you see how badly this is affecting me?" Zelda asked Impa, and Impa looked at the window.

"There's a reason for everything. This was meant to happen. Who are we to change fate?" Impa questioned, and lifted Zelda's chin. "Keep your head up," she said, before getting a good look at Zelda's face. "I've never noticed those scars before, where'd they come from?" Impa queried, and Zelda was surprised that Impa hadn't noticed them- usually Impa could spot a bit of dirt of her shoe.

Zelda began to tell the tale of how she got into a fight with Fletcher, the leader of a rowdy group of boys. Then she told Impa about how she met the boy named Link, and Impa seemed to grow more and more sullen as Zelda went on. After Zelda was done, Impa stood up, and paced around the room.

"It couldn't be…" Impa mumbled to herself, "No, it's too early. Even fate wouldn't do this," she continued, running her hands through her white hair.

"Impa?" Zelda inquired, and Impa was thrown out of her trance.

"Yes?" Impa asked, disoriented.

"What's going on?" Zelda asked in worry. Zelda had never seen her calm nurse-maid, her role model, seem so unsettled.

"Nothing…" Impa commented, but Zelda sensed that Impa would reveal something, but she didn't. "Nothing," Impa concluded. "Stay inside the castle for the rest of day. I forbid you to leave," Impa told Zelda. "Now, there are matters I must attend to," Impa said, sternly, not allowing Zelda to even mutter a protest. Impa opened the door to Zelda's bedchamber and slipped out. But just before Impa was out of sight, she turned to get a peek at Zelda, who was solemnly sitting in her bed, and Impa muttered '_Just be a good girl for once, okay?_' It wasn't loud enough for Zelda to hear, and Impa shut the door.

Zelda fell asleep, closing her eyes and listening to the sounds of birds chirping at her window, slight breezes brushing against the stained glass. Later that day, Zelda awoke to the sounds of shuffling outside her door, and Zelda untangled herself from her mess of blankets, and flew to her door knob, unable to jiggle herself free. She banged against the door, screaming and scratching like a wild animal.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" She screeched, and kicked the door with her foot. "THIS IS NOT HOW A PRINCE IS TO BE TREATED!" She shrieked, and then relented. As always, Zelda was a thinker – as knowledge was always a friend- and thought for a moment.

Obviously, the guards would never open the door for her if she should ask them to, or demand it. She would need to devise a plan, a scheme to get her captors to open her chamber door. And for a moment, she turned to her windows, and looked out them, the stained glass distorting the rays of sunlight in her eyes, and the clouds were a blue color. Within a heartbeat, the plan all flew from pieces to a put together puzzle, and everything became clear.

The blue tinted windows had to go.

In her hands Zelda held a fire poker, one that rested next to the serene fireplace in her room. She loved that fireplace, the stories she read next to it eased her mind, the warmth it gave during harsh winters were wonderful, but now she knew she had to leave it. Somehow, she could compare leaving a fireplace to leaving a mother's arms, things she never truly experienced, but had felt in a sense. Next she pulled a chair towards her, and hid behind the door.

Now some of you may not understand Zelda's thinking, for her plans were always unexpected, but I'll be damned if they didn't work. Barely five seconds had passed, and her plan was complete, and Zelda was ready to put it into motion. As a prince, Zelda was never that great with aim, but this time she aimed perfectly, and threw the fire poker into that beautiful blue window, and broke it, shattering it. Of course, the guards would be alerted, and take a step into her room to check to see if she was alright.

As soon as a guard entered her room, Zelda picked up her chair, and threw it at the guard, bringing him to his knees if not knocking him out. The second guard at her door was now watching with cautious eyes, and in a hurry, he positioned himself in a defensive stance, his spear threatening her. To be honest, Zelda had not even thought of the second guard, but luckily for her she was quick on her feet, and she reached for a piece of wood from the chair.

"What are you doing?" Asked the guard, and Zelda looked at her small scrap of wood. She played with it in her hands, touching its tip, smiling.

"If you don't let me go, I will do unspeakable things…" She commented, and placed the sharp edge at her stomach. "Freedom can have a heavy price."

The guard gulped, he never signed up for this- a spoiled prince and a non-existent king- no he signed up for daring sword fights and saving maidens, slaying dragons and gaining glory. He never signed up for a suicidal prince.

"Don't question me," Zelda spat, and pressed the scrap of wood deeper into her abdomen, causing even her pain. She wouldn't really do it, there was too much to see and do. But the chance, the threat was too serious to be taken lightly. The guard stood up, and let her pass out of her bedroom, and Zelda ran down the hall, down, down, down the rabbit hole to the queen's courtyard. No queen was to be found, only a nursemaid to a spoiled prince, but a nursemaid might suffice.

"You had NO right!" Zelda exploded, screaming at Impa with fury. Impa, who was turned to a small window, looked over her shoulder and for a moment, seemed to barely acknowledge Zelda's existence. But that moment came to pass, and Impa turned with a frown upon her face.

"I had to Alex, please understand," Impa told Zelda with pleading eyes.

"How can I understand when the one person I love has betrayed me?!" Questioned she, and let her own guard down, allowing a few minutes to pass without any response. When those minutes were up, Zelda then ran, out of the courtyard, out of the castle, in the direction of castle town, until she was out of breath, any guards she passed did not pursue her for she ran too quickly. When she finally stopped running, she paused for a moment, and noticed that she was then in the middle the crowd of people that had always littered the streets of castle town. Zelda forced herself through the crowd, and found herself in front of the alley were she had first met Link.

'Who does she think she is? No one has the right to tell me what I can and cannot do, who I can and cannot see,' Zelda thought angrily, and turned another direction. She thought she heard her fake name, Alex, being called, but she swiftly ignored it, and cut through the crowds again. Zelda started walking toward the city gates, and ran across the draw bridge, almost flying into the freedom of Hyrule field.

She wasn't too far from the draw bridge, and she just stood there, gawking at the openness of Hyrule. She'd never seen it this way before, she had always seen it as just scenery to her destination, and now it was a land she could explore, a land she couldn't ever tame.

Zelda still heard her fake name being called, and turned around to see who was calling for her. It was Link, and he was running to her at a frightening speed. He crashed into her, tackling her to the ground, and Zelda landed on the rocky earth beneath her, letting out all the wind in her lungs.

"Alex!" Link yelled at him, and Zelda's hands flew to her elfish ears. "Why didn't'cha respond when I called? I called'ja five times!" Link yelled at her, and Zelda let go of her ears.

"I didn't hear you, I was running, and lost in thought," She said, and shrugged. Zelda brushed the dirt off her shirt, and sat up correctly.

"Oh. Well, I'm sorry for getting angry at'cha and tacklin' you," Link said, blushing and scratching the back of his head.

'He's cute like this,' Zelda thought, then shook her head. 'No, I'm supposed to be a boy! I can't have these thoughts! No, no, no. No, no, no,' Zelda told herself in though form while shaking her head. Then she stopped, and Link was giving her a weird look. "What?" Zelda asked him, and Link chuckled.

"I was just wonderin' what you were shakin' yer head for. Did'ja have bug in yer hair or somethin'?" Link asked her, and Zelda laughed.

"No, I was just thinking… very violently," Zelda said, and giggled. 'Why am I acting so girly now?' Zelda asked herself, and smiled. 'It's because of him. I know it,' she thought, and giggled again.

"Yer weird, Alyx," Link said, and crossed his arms. "What're you laughin' about?" Link asked her, one of his eyebrows were raised.

"Nothing," Zelda said, and burst into a fit of laughter. Link stared at her in wonder.

"You are the oddest person I've ever met…" Link said, and Zelda laughed even harder, clutching her stomach, and in between laughs she'd take deep breaths. She settled herself down, and looked around. They were outside the white walls of castle, and were out in the open. Link only stared at her, and eventually Zelda dared to stare right back.

"Look where we are Link," Zelda said, and pointed to the castle gates. Link looked over to where Zelda was pointing, and his eyes widened.

"Outside…" Link mumbled, and looked all around him. He stood up and did a quick circle to see everything that around him. "Oh Goddess." He said, and his knees gave out beneath him.

"Is something wrong?" Zelda asked him, and crawled over to him. "Why are you freaking out?"

"I haven't been outside the castle walls in a year. Let me have a moment, okay?" Link told her, and Zelda nodded. She brushed her hair with her fingers, and played with her necklace that she always wore, for it was her mothers, and it was in the shape of the Triforce. After a few moments of her awkward silence, Link quickly turned his head to look at her, flashing an odd grin, and laughed. Zelda couldn't help but smile back, and began to laugh as well. "Where to, princey? I've got nothin' but time to spare," Link said, and Zelda grinned even wider.

"Lake Hylia, or Kokiri Forest?" Zelda asked him, and Link's odd grin grew bigger.

"Normally I'd say Lake Hylia, but I want to save that trip fer another day," Link told her. "Let's go to Kokiri Forest!" He said excitedly, whooping in pure bliss. The both of them raced off towards Kokiri Forest, ready to have the best day of their lives.

After half a day of walking, Zelda was tired and cranky. "Are we there yet?" Zelda asked Link a fifth time, and Link sighed, replying with a simple 'no.' Zelda sighed as well, and let her head bow, so she was looking at her now dirt covered feet. She walked, letting her head sway from side to side, and felt as if her feet were going to fall off, and was getting sleepy. Then she walked straight into Link, who apparently had stopped to stare at something, and she fell back on her butt. "Oy! Why'dja stop?" Zelda asked Link, yelling at him from the ground.

"Because of that," Link said, not turning around to look at her, not even apologizing. Zelda moved so that she could see what he was staring at, and when she saw it, her eyes almost popped out of her head.

It was a giant pod like creature, and it sat in the ground. It had a pinkish-red top, and the bottom of it was a greenish-beige color. To Link, it was like a nightmare come true, because he knew what these creatures were. To Zelda, though, the creature was the coolest thing she had ever seen.

"What is it?" Zelda asked Link.

"It's called a Peahat, I don't know why though. I'd rather call it the creature o' death," Link said, and Zelda smiled.

"Cool!" Zelda yelled, and ran towards it, hoping to touch it, just once. When Link noticed that she was running towards the Peahat, he yelled and chased after her.

"Alyx, stay away from it!" Link yelled.

"Why?" Zelda asked, and started to hear a noise behind her.

"That's why!" Link yelled at her and pointed.

Zelda turned around, and found the Peahat was flying in the air, and chasing after her. Its roots were whirling blades, they looked like leafs, but Zelda didn't want to get close enough to know for sure. Zelda screamed, and tried to run, but her body was paralyzed in fear. Then she felt Link pulling her away from the creature, and she was incredibly thankful for him.

"Stupid! Come on, we have to get away!" Link yelled, and Zelda wondered where they would run. "Look there's a pathway over there!" Link yelled, and pointed to an area between two dead looking trees. Link and Zelda ran into the passage, made a quick left, and then were forced to stop. The two took a breather, realizing the Peahat wasn't behind them anymore. Zelda let out a laugh, and Link just stared at her. "Are you crazy?! Ya could have gotten hurt, or worse, ya could've been killed!" Link yelled at her, and Zelda cupped her hands over her ears, but Link pulled them away. "Listen to me! You don't know anything about these places, and while I don't know that much either, I know a whole lot more than you!" Link continued to yell, and Zelda nodded her heard, mumbling 'sorry.' Then she looked up ahead, and pointed at it.

"What is that?" She asked Link, and he turned around to see what she meant.

"It's a tunnel into Kokiri Forest," Link said. "All of the tunnels that they use are made of hollowed out logs, which are made from the trees from ancient times. Apparently the ancient trees had the power to repel evil spirits, though it sounds like a bunch of horse apples ta me," Link said, and shrugged.

"Really?!" Zelda said, and touched the hollowed out log. A shiver went down her spine, and Zelda could feel the power of the trees. It was strong, and it made her gasp, because the power was flowing through her as well.

"Hey, are you alright?" Link asked her, and Zelda pulled herself away from the tree. She nodded slowly. "Why'dja gasp?" He asked her, and Zelda shook her head, saying it was nothing. "Well, anyway, don'tcha want to see the actual forest, not just the entrance?" Link asked her, and Zelda smiled, nodding her head. "Then I'll lead the way. We don't need another fiasco…" Link said, and walked into the dark tunnel. Zelda was hesitant, but followed him. She didn't like the dark, so she grabbed a hold of Link's wrist, but Link pulled her hand down so they were holding hands. "I'm only doing this because ya seem scared," Link said, almost in a defensive way, but Zelda didn't care, because it was a comfort. Zelda felt the heat rush to her face, but ignored it. There was no way she'd ever get a crush on her best friend, especially since she was pretending to be a boy. But as always, she saw both sides of her argument: one side told her to be a boy, and ignore the happiness growing in her heart; the other side told her she couldn't deny what she was forever.

They walked out of the hollow log, and came to a rope bridge. It made Zelda nervous, and Link could sense it. "You go first," Link said, and slightly pushed her onto the rickety bridge. "I'll be right behind you, so I'll catch you if you fall," Link said, and Zelda took her first step. It seemed okay, but then Link started to walk behind her, and it made the bridge moan under the weight. Zelda looked over her shoulder at Link, with a look of fear on her face. "It's okay, it's not goin' to break. Just keep going," Link told her, and Zelda nodded in reassurance. She stepped lightly, walking on her toes, and when she was just about off the bridge, she leaped the last few steps so she could be on stable ground quicker. As Link said, he was right behind her, just walking across the bridge as if it wasn't a problem. 'He's brave,' Zelda thought, 'I wish I was as brave as he was,' she continued, and then grabbed Link's hand. Link squeezed her hand, as if to reassure her that he was there, and Zelda felt safe. With him, she felt safer than she had ever felt with Impa, and Impa was even stronger than Link. So why did she feel so at peace with him? Zelda pushed these questions to the back of her mind, and told herself that she'd answer them later. They stepped into a longer tunnel, and went on their way to Kokiri Forest.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**A Vivacious Timberland**

Zelda took in her first look at Kokiri Forest, and it was a sight she would never forget. Kokiri Forest was a vivacious timberland, with jade tinted leaves and emerald colored moss staining the coffee shaded trees. A vibrato of insects hummed around her, breathing life into the exquisite utopia. Birds seemed to sing a forest hymn, and fireflies seemed to dance to the melody all around them. There were tree huts in the forest, and it was spacious. It almost looked like a town, inside the forest. There was a waterfall up ahead, and there were tunnels up above him, to her left. On her right was a hill, and another hut stood atop the hill. Zelda found herself completely at peace here, all she wanted to do was make herself a hut and never leave. But that wasn't possible, no, it was beyond impossible. The magic of this forest, would sense her foreign being, and turn her into a monster.

Link stepped forward and smiled, letting go of Zelda's hand. He looked to his left and right, and then set his eyes straight ahead of him. _'What could he possibly be concentrating on?_' Zelda asked herself, and looked to where Link was staring. It was a Kokiri.

The Kokiri were always children, and though they had eternal youth, they weren't immortal; nothing lasts forever. And they died if they left the forest. It was common knowledge to even Zelda. She had always been learning about the people the kingdom was governing, or about the people the kingdom had alliances with. This particular Kokiri was a girl. She wore a green dress that sat just above her knees, and the sleeves went all the way down past her wrists, and it connected to her middle fingers. She wore a brown leather belt, and had vials filled with some kind of liquid attached to the belt. Her legs were covered in knee high leather boots, and Zelda had a feeling she stuffed knives inside her shoes. The Kokiri kept her brown hair up in a high ponytail-braid that went down to the small of her back, and it was tied in a green bow. And to match her outfit, she had pale skin, and her green eyes had a look of pure evil in them. It scared Zelda, and Link felt it, placing himself in front of her. The Kokiri took a step towards the two, and in a flash, she was right in front of them, with a knife at Link's throat. Zelda had always learned that the Kokiri were peaceful, so why was this one being so rude?

"Why are you here?" The Kokiri growled in a deep voice, something too deep for a normal child to have.

"We're traveling, that's all," Link replied simply, and the Kokiri didn't look convinced. A fairy popped up over the Kokiri's head, and flew down to the girl's ear. It seemed to say something, but all Zelda heard was chimes, like someone was playing an instrument. The Kokiri nodded, and pulled her knife away from Link's neck, and his tension was released. The girl pulled up two vials, and handed each to Zelda and Link. "Drink it," she commanded, and both Zelda and Link resisted.

"What is it?" Zelda asked quietly, still fearing the girl.

"It's a truth potion. If I ask you questions, you won't be able to answer with a lie," the girl told them, and pointed her knife at Link again. "Drink it. I have to see if your intentions are good or bad," she said. Link looked back at Zelda, and shrugged. He wouldn't have lied anyway, and drank the potion. Zelda drank it, but it was gross, and she made a face. Link was watching her, and she heard him stifle a laugh. Then they both handed the vials back to the girl, who put them back in their spots on her belt. "Who are you?" She questioned.

"I'm Link, and this is my friend Alex," Link answered, and the girl slightly nodded.

"Why are you here?" The Kokiri asked again.

"Our answer previous answer still stands. We're merely traveling, just getting away from where we used to be," Link told her, and the Kokiri's expression was blank.

"Do you intend to hurt the Noble Deku Tree?" She quiried.

"No, but I wonder why you call him the Noble Deku Tree, instead of the Great Deku Tree," Link commented, but the Kokiri ignored it.

"What about you? Do you feel the same way has Link?" The Kokiri questioned Zelda, slightly bending so she could look at Zelda without Link in the way.

"Yes I do," Zelda replied, and nodded her head. The Kokiri put her knife back in her boot, and held out her hand.

"The names Belladonna, Belladonna Nightshade," the girl said, and both Link and Zelda shook it.

"Belle!" A voice bellowed throughout the wood, and Zelda could see a boy Kokiri coming towards them. He had pale skin, thin lips, blue eyes, and red hair. "You are not the leader of the Kokiri, I am! You cannot do this anymore! What happens if one the people who visit is important? You'll get us in trouble!" The boy yelled at her, but Belladonna didn't seem fazed. Link looked back at Zelda and shrugged shoulders after seeing Zelda's confused expression.

"I may not be leader, but remember, I'm challenging you for your position!" Belladonna said, and pulled out two daggers from both of her boots, and took a defensive position, each dagger in one hand. "Let's fight it out, right here, right now!" Belladonna said, and ran towards the boy. For a moment, Zelda feared for the boy, but he didn't look worried. All he did was jump over her, flipped in the air, and landed behind her.

"I am not fighting in front of guests!" The boy yelled at her. "We will fight it out later; don't you know it's unfair when your challenger has no weapon to defend himself with?" Belladonna had an angered look on her face, and raced off to one of the huts. The boy then turned to look at both Zelda and Link. "She gave you the truth potion, didn't she?" He asked, and both Link and Zelda nodded. "Oh well," the boy sighed, but then straightened his posture. "My name is Lorne Nightshade, leader of the Kokiri, and unfortunately Belle's brother," he said, and held out his hand. The two shook it, and smiled. "I'm sorry for Belle, but that's just who she is. She's the only one of us who is foolhardy," Lorne said. "So I never actually got your names," Lorne commented, and Link chuckled.

"I'm Link," Link told Lorne, and smiled.

"I'm Alexander," Zelda said, and Lorne smiled. He obviously didn't know of her princely position, but it was nice to find someone who didn't know.

"I'm Lorne, leader of this village. It was very nice to meet you both, but I have other matters to attend to. Please, take a look around, but do not stay too long." Lorne told them quite seriously, and quickly.

"What an odd group of people…" Zelda commented. Zelda started to walk in the direction of the pond that lay up ahead of them. It was a beautiful pond, and a waterfall flowed into it. Zelda dipped her toes in, but Link pushed her in. Zelda tried to swim, but she never learned, so she flailed in the water like a fish out of water. Link looked at her with an odd look, before realizing that she couldn't swim.

"Oh Goddess! I'm so sorry, Alex! I didn't know ya couldn't swim!" Link cried, going into the water after her, and eventually pulling her out. Zelda sat on the ground, coughing and wheezing, spitting out the pond water. Link patted her back as she coughed, and when she was done, she turned to look at him, shooting him eye daggers.

"What would possess you to do that?!" Zelda asked him, with a loud and angry tone of voice.

"I don't know! Ya looked like ya wanted to take a dip, so I sped up the process!" Link said in a defensive tone of voice.

"Well now I'm soaking wet. You owe me some dry clothes," Zelda told him, and Link looked at his own.

"I'd lend you mine, but mine are soaking wet too…" Link said, and Zelda told him that she'd rather stay in her wet clothes then have him strip. This made Link laugh, but Zelda blushed. The more she hung out with him, the more she fell for him. _'It's not right! I'm supposed to be a boy, but I can't help but think that someday I'll tell him the truth. Someday_,' Zelda thought to herself.

"Oh my!" A voice said quietly behind them. "What happened?" The voice asked. It was another Kokiri girl, but she seemed much nicer and calmer than Belladonna. The girl had long blonde hair that gently brushed her ankles, blue eyes, red lips, and pale skin. She wore a floor length green dress, and the sleeves didn't go past her shoulders. She had a headband made of clovers in her hair, and wore a necklace made of clovers as well. It would be too cliché if her name was Clover.

"The jerk pushed me in the pond…" Zelda said, and nodded her head towards Link.

"That wasn't very nice! You should apologize!" The girl said, and Link blushed. Of course he would. Every single Kokiri girl was pretty, even Zelda got jealous.

"I already did," Link told her, and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Good. Do you two want some dry clothes?" The girl said, as her blonde hair rustled in the wind.

"Yes!" They both said, and the girl laughed.

"Okay, let's go get you fitted," the girl said, and both Link and Zelda quickly followed her. "By the way, my name's Clover River," she said. Zelda rolled her eyes. It was way too cliché for her tastes.

"That's a pretty name," Link said, and Zelda noticed something. Even though they were young, he was flirting. Now that she thought about it, Link was the type to be a player. He had the looks, and the manly aura to go with it.

"Why thank you! But I'd appreciate it if you didn't flirt with me," Clover said, and Zelda was stunned. Could the Kokiri read minds or was she just smart?

"Why?" Link asked in a charming tone of voice, something that Zelda was even drawn too. How could the Kokiri not like him?

"You're too young for me," Clover said, and Zelda's mind was blown. Weren't the Kokiri supposed to be children?

"Excuse me?" Link asked what Zelda was thinking. Could everyone read her mind today?

"You're a Hylian child, which means you're only about eight to twelve years old," Clover started explaining. "And I'm a Kokiri elder! I'm over a hundred years older than you!" Clover said happily, and led them to a tree hut. Inside were all kinds of silks, pelts, and clothes, but Zelda's mind was too blown to notice. She looked over at Link, who also had the same look she did. This made her laugh, and took her out of her previous state. "Choose what you like! You're welcome to anything here!" Clover said excitedly, and Zelda was confused. Another Kokiri girl, who apparently ran the little tailor store, nodded in agreement. The girl introduced herself as Meadow Fawn, and Zelda said she liked her name, which made Meadow blush.

"Why are you so generous?" Zelda asked Clover, and she giggled.

"We Kokiri do have a money system, but we live as one with the Earth, unlike most humans. We give easily because the things we give can easily be replaced again. This is why we are so generous to most travelers," Clover said, and Zelda nodded her head. Link had walked away from Zelda, and was staring at a green tunic. Clover noticed, and motioned for Meadow to talk to him.

"Do you like it? It was very popular a long time ago," Meadow said. "A tunic like this one once belonged to the Hero of Time, did you know that?" Meadow said, and Link shook his head. "Now no one wants anything like this. I don't see why, its good attire. Yes, bit revealing for men's legs, but that can be fixed with a pair of breeches or tights…" Meadow said, and grabbed a pair of white tights. "You'd look great in this, instead of that white shirt and black vest, and those old looking green tights," Meadow commented in disgust to Link's fashion style. "Go over to the fitting room, and try these on, alright?" Meadow asked, and handed him a green tunic, a pair of white tights, and some tan leather boots.

"Okay!" Link said happily, and ran off with his new garments. Meadow followed Link into the fitting room to help him with the clothes, and Clover turned to look at Zelda. Zelda felt uncomfortable under Clover's gaze, so she looked down at her feet.

"Lift your head, Spirit Maiden," Clover said, and Zelda's head popped up. "Why are you dressed like a boy?" Clover asked her quietly. "And please tell me that you're real name isn't Alex," Clover whispered in Zelda's ear, and Zelda was stunned.

"How did you know?" Zelda whispered to Clover, and Clover smiled.

"I've seen this face before, you've walked these paths, you've seen these forest floors, though you may not remember, for it was long ago. So," Clover said, "so tell me your story." Zelda told her the story of how she grew up pretending to be a boy because her father made her. Clover shook her head in disgust, and patted Zelda's head. "You Hylians are so odd," Clover said. "You're name wouldn't happen to be Zelda, would it?" Clover asked, and Zelda nodded her head. "It's a pretty name. Did you know it means 'woman warrior?' It's a fitting name, really. You have a journey ahead of you, young one," Clover said, and looked at Zelda for a moment, before a look of surprise dawned on her face. "I almost forgot about your clothes! Meadow! Find something for this one!" Clover yelled, and Meadow came running.

"I've got a great pair of shorts for you! Let's see… you'd look good in green, but… Aha! I've got it!" Meadow exclaimed. "I'm going to put you in a pair of beige breeches, and give you a nice white shirt, and a green vest top! It'll go well with these green boots!" Meadow said happily, and pulled Zelda into a fitting room, and dropping off the pile of clothes, before closing a curtain of leaves and flowers. Zelda pulled off her own wet clothes, and was happy to put on dry clothes. Meadow was right, she did look good in this outfit, but as always, boy clothes never fit as good as girls clothes.

Zelda stepped out of the fitting room, and Meadow squealed in delight. "I just knew it'd look good on you!" Meadow exclaimed happily, and Clover pulled her away.

"I have a gift for you," Clover said, and pulled her towards the dress section.

"Oh, you've done enough!" Zelda told her, shaking her head.

"Nonsense. The Noble Deku Tree would be disappointed in me if I didn't lavish you with gifts!" Clover exclaimed, handing Zelda a green satchel. Inside was a pair of Kokiri wooden daggers, which excited Zelda; Kokiri style food, which were small pellets that apparently gave a person a full days' worth of nutrients; vials of potions, each were identified; a canteen of water; a small journal and a couple of thin pencil like sticks and ink. Zelda questioned the journal, but shrugged. She might as well be grateful. "Now, one last thing. This is also a present to me if I give you this, so take it happily okay?" Clover said, and Zelda nodded. "I don't like the Spirit Maiden pretending to be a boy, so I want you to have something to remind you of what you are. Take one," Clover said, and pointed to a mass of dresses.

"Oh, no, no, no. I can't accept all of this!" Zelda said, and shook her head.

"All of this isn't just from me. It's from everyone in the Kokiri tribe, and is also a gift for the Noble Deku Tree. You must take them, for it would be rude if you didn't!" Clover said, knowing she had Zelda there. Zelda had grown up having to learn chivalry, common courtesy, and even how girls were supposed to act. She had to take the gifts, or it would be offensive to the Kokiri if she didn't. Zelda looked over all the dresses, and picked out one that she liked. It was a wonderful shade of green, with lovely pink flowers printed on it. The dress was floor length, with no sleeves and a pair of pink gloves to match. The dress's neckline was very high; it was supposed to reach the wearers chin. It was a lot like Clover's dress, and this made Clover smiled. "You have good tastes," Clover praised her. Clover folded the dress, and placed it in Zelda's new satchel.

"Alex!" Link called to Zelda, and she quickly turned around. Link looked great in his green tunic and white breeches, but something was missing. Zelda looked at Clover, and she could tell Clover was thinking the same thing. Clover went to Meadow, whispering something in her ear, and Meadow smiled, nodding in agreement. Meadow ran to grab something, and gave it to Clover, who walked over to Link and placed something on his head. It was a hat, but not a normal hat. It was green, long, and it flopped down to Link's shoulder blades. "What is this?" Link asked, feeling the hat on his head.

"The Hero of Time wore a hat just like this one!" Meadow exclaimed in happiness, and then blushed at her outburst. "You look just like him!" She said happily.

"It's true; you are the spitting image of him. Don't worry dear, it's nothing to worry about," Clover said, and giggled. Clover turned to Zelda, and winked, and Zelda couldn't help but laugh. "Come along, I've given you your gifts Alex. It's Link's turn!" Clover said happily, and led them out of the tree house. Meadow stood at the doorway waving, and Zelda waved back. Everyone here was so nice, Zelda loved it.

"By the way," Link said to Zelda, whispering in her ear, "you look great in those clothes," Link said, then scratched the back of his head in embarrassment like he always did. Link's words made Zelda's face turn a dark shade of pink, and she smiled. _'Oh, how he will be surprised when he learns my secret…_' Zelda thought to herself, and then quietly giggled, which resulted in Link giving her a strange look.

The store had the scent of tree bark, and was dimly lit. It turned out to be a weaponry store. "I can only give you a small amount of gifts from here, because the owner is not as generous as Meadow is," Clover said, and led them inside.

"Who's there?" A voice asked, and poked his head over the counter. It was a boy, with red hair and hazel eyes. He wore a green shirt and a pair of brown shorts.

"Clover and friends!" Clover sang to him, and the boy groaned.

"No, no, no. I am not giving out gifts! They have to pay like everyone else!" The boy yelled, and Clover giggled. She skipped over to him in a childlike manner, which sent Zelda reeling because her age didn't go along with her mannerisms. Clover whispered something in his ear, and his eyes widened. Zelda had a feeling she knew what Clover was telling him, but Link was sent in a state of confusion. Zelda stifled a laugh at the look on Link's face, and kept to herself. "You're killing my business Clover," the boys said, and looked at Link and Zelda. "Did she give you the talk about how we, Kokiri, are so generous because everything we give can easily be replaced?" Link and Zelda nodded. "Well I'm sorry to burst your bubbles, but that's a bunch of fairy dust."

"Cleavers, you're wrong. Everything we get is from the forest, and eventually returns to the forest. The forest gives, and we give back. It can easily be replaced because the forest is willing to give us the things we need, as long as we respect it in return," Clover said. Zelda had to admit, Clover was wiser than anyone she had ever known, even Impa. "Now, give him the gifts."

"Fine. Come boy," Cleavers called Link over like a dog, and Link obeyed, like a dog. Clover giggled a little, and Zelda couldn't help but smile. "This is a wooden shield, made of the finest oak this forest has to offer," Cleavers said, and placed the shield on the counter. "And this is a short sword, good for someone your size. It's made of steel, so it's strong, it shouldn't break," Cleavers said, placing the sword and an oak scabbard on the counter. "Lastly, I'm giving you a slingshot. Simple for a kid to use. You pick up a Deku nut, or a rock, but Deku nuts fly better, pull the stringy part, and then let go. Remember to aim, its required if you have a specific target," Cleavers said, and placed the slingshot on the counter.

"Why am I getting these things? I have no need to fight," Link argued, and Cleavers shot him a devilish look.

"Just be grateful and go on your way," Cleavers said angrily and walked away from the counter. He whispered something to Clover, and then left to another room. Clover sighed, and walked out of the hut. Link sheathed the sword, and put the scabbard over his shoulders. He slung the shield onto his back, and gave the slingshot to Zelda for her to hold in her satchel. He complained that he had no pockets; he'd have to have that fixed when they got the chance.

The two followed Clover out of the shop.

"Now, we're going to see the Noble Deku Tree," Clover said happily, and looked over her shoulders smiling.

"May I ask why you say 'the Noble Deku Tree' instead of 'the Great Deku Tree'?" Link asked, and Clover nodded.

"We use the term noble instead of great because there would be confusion. The Great Deku Tree died less than seventy years ago, some people who knew of the Great Deku Tree might be confused. So we used the term noble instead. Plus, the Noble Deku Tree has not been able to gain the same rank as the Great Deku Tree, thus the different names," Clover said, in an all-knowing-tone of voice, and then she started skipping towards the path to the Great Deku Tree. Zelda and Link had to run to keep up with her, because like all Kokiri, Clover was quick. The three were just about to enter the passageway to the Noble Deku Tree, but someone from behind came running, tackled Zelda, grabbed her head by Zelda's hair and placed a knife at Zelda's throat.

"What do you think you're doing boy?! New comers are not allowed to see the Noble Deku Tree!" The voice yelled, and Zelda recognized it: it was Belladonna Nightshade.

"Belladonna! Get your grimy hands off of him!" Another voice shouted, and Zelda recognized this voice as well: it was the Kokiri Leader, Lorne Nightshade. But Belladonna didn't obey, in fact, the knife was pressed on Zelda's neck with such a strong force that her neck had begun to bleed.

"I won't! He's going to hurt the Noble Deku Tree! I just know it!" Belladonna cried.

"We took the truth potion! We couldn't lie!" Link yelled at her angrily, and Zelda could see that he was poised to attack.

"It had to be some kind of trick!" Belladonna yelled at him, and before Belladonna knew it, Lorne had walked over to her and slapped her.

"How dare you! They have done nothing wrong!" Lorne yelled at the angered girl. "Put down the knife, or face exile," Lorne threatened, and Belladonna pulled her knife away from Zelda's neck. She let go of Zelda's hair, and threw the knife on the ground. Belladonna then spat on Zelda, and Link pushed her, causing her to fall over, giving him a dirty look. Afterwards, Belladonna stood up, threw a Deku Nut on the ground, temporarily blinding the group, and then she was gone.

"Alex!" Link cried, and flew to Zelda's side. "You're bleeding!" Link cried, and asked anyone for a bandage. Lorne handed one to him, for he always had them on him, because his sister was always so aggressive with him. Link tied the bandage around Zelda's neck, and whispered in her ear. "Why are you always getting hurt?" Link asked so quietly even Zelda could barely hear. Link pulled her to her feet, and bowed his head in shame. Zelda wondered why he did so, but shrugged it off. She could always ask him later.

"Well come on! The Noble Deku Tree doesn't like to wait forever!" Clover motioned for them to follow her, and they did.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**I Will Always Find You**

The Noble Deku Tree was quite a big tree. Its leaves were a dark green, much like the rest of the forest, and its bark was a chocolate brown. It stood over thirty feet tall, and branched out over fifty feet. That's what Clover said anyway, Zelda would have described it as a big honkin' tree. The leaves of the Noble Deku Tree were also quite large. If Zelda placed one in front of her face, she could hide completely behind one, and they were strong enough that they could be used as fans. Clover told her that sometimes the Noble Deku Tree offered up bark for them to use for medicine or for food. This grossed Zelda out, and Clover smiled, because even though it grossed Zelda out, Clover liked it. The Kokiri were used to their foods. What made Zelda more surprised was the fact that the Noble Deku Tree grew in front of the soulless husk of the Great Deku Tree. When Zelda brought up the subject, Clover only shrugged, saying that the Noble Deku Tree had something to compare himself to. The idea of it gave Zelda the creeps.

Both Link and Zelda stood in front of the Noble Deku Tree, and even though he had no actual eyes, they felt themselves being watched very intently. Zelda shifted uncomfortably underneath its gaze, trying to avoid the full attention of the tree, but that was impossible. Unlike Zelda, Link put up his most formidable stance he had, and dared to look straight back at the tree. Zelda didn't understand where Link got his courage from, but she was envious.

A laugh bellowed from nowhere, but Zelda figured it was the tree. It was a deep, throaty laugh that resonated against the valley in which the tree stood. Clover smiled at the laugh, and even Lorne, who had decided to follow them, grinned.

"My, what impudence!" The voice said, and laughed again. "Do not fear little one, for I am only gazing," the voice said, sounding across the valley almost in waves of reverberations. It was so loud that Zelda had covered her elfish ears, and Clover looked at her like she was crazy. "Ah, I'm sorry if my voice is too loud. I shall try to be quieter, but when you're a big tree, you tend to have a big-" the voice trailed for a moment, before a figure appeared before them, "voice." The person had finished the tree's sentence, and this confused Zelda. Link pulled out his sword, and the figure placed its fingers on the tip of blade with just enough pressure to make him bleed. But he didn't. He forced the blade out of Link's hands, and it had clattered when it hit the rocky Earth beneath them. He patted Link on the shoulder, and Zelda almost expected him to say 'good boy', as if Link was a dog. Then the person turned to look at her. "I'm sorry if I scared you my dear," it said, and brushed Zelda's face softly with its hand. After he had pulled its hand away from her face, she dared to truly look at him.

The figure appeared to be a man, for no woman could look the way he did. He had soft tannish-red skin, almost orangey, and there were lines of a pale yellow, almost white, all over his unusual skin. His hair was a mass of green strands, looking as if they were windblown, and his hair didn't seem to go even an inch past his ears. Or what would have been ears, for instead of elfish ears, his ears were small, and looked as if they took the shape of maple leaves. And his eyes, oh his eyes, were the deepest shade of emerald Zelda had ever seen, and Zelda almost felt herself falling into them. The man wore a green shirt, the neckline reaching his chin, and the sleeves not going past his shoulders, and wore a pair of black baggy pants that stopped right at his ankles. He was also tall, around six feet, and Zelda felt tiny compared to him. But, despite his odd features, the man was actually quite dashing, and Zelda had to admit that he did seem somewhat charming.

"Don't touch 'im!" Link yelled at the man. Apparently he had picked up his sword, and was pointing it at the man. "Don't you dare touch him!" Link yelled and Zelda wondered how Link knew how to wield a sword.

The man clicked his tongue, and smirked. "Temper, temper! Aren't you quite the protective one?" The man laughed, and looked back to Zelda. "I'm sorry my dear, such impertinence is to be expected from the bearer of courage. Just like beauty is to be expected from the bearer of wisdom," he continued, lifting Zelda's hand to his lips, and gently kissed it. Zelda blushed a crimson red, and the man laughed.

"Who are you?" Zelda asked quietly, her shyness making a presence.

"Oh! I thought you two would understand!" The man exclaimed, looking surprised. "Why, I am the Noble Deku Tree," he said, holding out his hand to Zelda, and she took it.

"Yer the Noble Deku Tree?" Link scoffed.

"Yes, little hero," he said sharply. "While my true body is the tree you see standing before you, my spirit can take a more human like form," the man-tree said, and smiled. "By the way, I realized the Noble Deku Tree is such a long name," he had drawn the word 'long', as if it was something to laugh at. "So you may call me Echo, for I am only an echo of the actual tree," Echo told them.

"Noble Deku Tree, I had no idea this was possible!" Clover exclaimed. "Even the Great Deku Tree could not do this!"

"The Great Deku Tree was weak!" Echo yelled. "His powers were nowhere as strong as mine!" Echo guffawed, slighting bending his back. "He never had the nerve to try what I am doing!" Echo laughed, the sound resonating throughout the forest. Clover had a troubled look on her face, along with Lorne. Something didn't seem right. No, even Zelda could tell.

"You should not hold yourself too highly, for you will be disappointed when you find that you are not as great as you seem," a voice asserted, and Zelda turned around to see it was Belladonna Nightshade. Zelda's hand went to her throat, and Link had started to pull her by the wrist towards him. Zelda stumbled and fell down, slightly rolling down the hill. Link looked back at her and gave her a troubled look, as if to say 'I'm sorry, but I'm too preoccupied to help you,' and Zelda nodded to him, as if telling him she was okay, and she watched the scene play out.

"Look what you've done!" Echo cried, rushing to Zelda, but Link got in his way.

"I told you not to touch him," Link told him, his sword had been pointing at Belladonna, but now he moved it so that it was pointing at Echo. Echo took a step towards Zelda, careful light steps, as if he was walking on egg shells, and in a sense he was. He took one step to far, and Link swung his sword, lodging it in Echo's neck, and it was stuck.

"You really think that would've hurt me?" Echo scoffed at Link's stupidity. "Pathetic little hero, absolutely pathetic," Echo laughed wickedly, and Zelda started to like him less and less. Echo forcefully pulled the blade out of his neck, and threw it on the ground. Then he walked right past the stunned Link and picked Zelda up like she weighed nothing. Which was a bit true, Zelda was only about four and half feet tall, and was skinnier than a twig. Even Link could have picked her up with ease. "Come my pet, we have much to… discuss," Echo said, then laughed. He slung Zelda onto his shoulder, despite her protests, and the two of them had faded into nothing. What was left for Link to find was Zelda's satchel, which held some very useful items, and a questionable green dress.

Link was stunned, this man, no tree, was a monster! He had kidnapped Alex, and Link planned on taking Alex back. Link turned to his left, and looked at Clover and Lorne, completely ignoring the abomination that was Belladonna Nightshade. Clover and Lorne had a distressed look on their faces, and Link dared not ask them why. He had expected the Noble Deku Tree to be wise and kindhearted, and, of course, nothing else but a tree. Instead he got a cheeky, violent, and somewhat brute of a man-tree-creature. What was worse was that magic seemed to be on Echo's side, unlike Link, who would never admit that magic had always seemed unnatural. No one should be able to control the forces of nature, for nature should just be.

Link would get Alex back, he couldn't be left alone with that… pervert. Echo was a full grown man, flirting with a young boy! It was disgusting. And the way Alex had blushed at his advances, well it sent jealousy throughout every fiber of Link's being. But… why? Alex was a boy, an incredibly feminine boy, but nonetheless a boy. And Link was a boy, so why had he been acting so protective of Alex? Link even felt the urge to flirt with him. Hopefully he wouldn't grow up to be a man lover… no, that wasn't possible. Link had never felt this way about men before, and he certainly wasn't going to start now. Link assumed that Alex was his weak spot, his Achilles Heel, and he would do anything to make sure that it would never, ever be hurt.

Link put all of those thoughts aside, and focused on the problem at hand. Where would Echo have gone? Link thought about this, and eventually drifted into his own little world, staring off into space and not thinking a single thought. Then a pair of pale hands clapped in front of his face, and Link was so shaken that he had fallen over. He sat on the ground, completely oblivious to a person speaking to him, and then turned his head to look at the person talking to him.

"Huh?" Link asked, shaken out of his odd state, and for a moment was disoriented.

"I said: Aren't you going to go after him?" The person asked. It was Belladonna, being rude as usual.

"I can't go after them when I don't even know where they've gone," Link said, and shook his head. Echo hadn't even left him a clue, and poor Alyx couldn't do a thing without Link to help him. He guessed all the royals were helpless.

"You're useless," Belladonna said in exasperation. "I couldn't even help you even if I tried."

"Belle!" Lorne said sternly. "That's rude!"

"That's the norm for me," Belladonna scoffed, "besides, I'm right. The boy can't use the sword properly even if his life depended on it. His stance is extremely unbalanced, so if I pushed him, he'd fall down in a heartbeat. He's impulsive, which is not a good quality in a warrior," Belladonna said, and Link mumbled 'like you're one to talk', and she eyed him angrily. "What was that, boy? I didn't quite catch that," she told him, and Link dared to talk back.

"Like you're one to talk! You're impulsive too! You attacked us as soon as we stepped into the forest. You attacked Alex because you thought we were goin' to hurt the Noble Deku Tree when we said that we had no such intentions, and we were even under the influence of the truth potion! If I am correct, you're just as impulsive as me," Link said to her, and Belladonna shot him eye daggers. Then Link had noticed that both Lorne and Clover had backed up a few steps, but Link didn't dare move a muscle. He'd stand his ground.

"Fair enough," Belladonna said, after a few moments of silence. This surprised both Lorne and Clover. Belladonna allowed herself to get lost in thought for a few seconds before nodding to herself, and mumbling under her breath. Then she focused on Link, and a playful smile dawned on her face. Link couldn't tell if this was a genuine smile, or a murderous smile. It was almost creepy. "I like you!" Belladonna said, and Link was taken aback when she held out her hand and pulled him up. "You're the only one here that's got the guts to go against me. Most of the Kokiri fears me," Belladonna said, and shrugged. "For that, I'm gonna help you get your friend back," Belladonna said, and motioned for him to follow her. Link fell in step behind her, with Clover and Lorne both following, but keeping their distance. They didn't trust Belladonna, just like Link didn't trust her. The left the little valley, passing through the narrow passage, and walked back into the Kokiri town. Belladonna hopped across a set of stones that sat in the pond, and Link did the same.

She led him to a small hut, apparently it was hers, and she opened the curtain of vines for him, and closed them afterwards so that Clover and Lorne would know that they weren't allowed in. "Set down your things by the door," Belladonna said, and Link obeyed, then stopped to look around. It was a square shaped hut, and was made completely out of wood, except for the roof, which was made out of all kinds of leaves and twigs. In the northwest corner was a bed, nightstand, and a dresser, all were quite frilly and cute, clashing with Belladonna's brash personality. In the northeast corner was a kitchen, with dark cabinets and counters, and a lovely table. To Link's right, the southeast corner, was a small desk, which looked to be an apothecary table. Link could smell all the herbs that rested inside. To Link's left, the southwest corner, which was pretty much empty, save a few trinkets, some broken weapons, and what appeared to be a training dummy that was falling apart.

"Come here," Belladonna beckoned him to the middle of the room, and Link slowly walked towards her. "I'm going to teach you to wield a sword properly," she said, and grabbed him a wooden sword from the corner of the room, retrieving one for herself as well. "Before I give you the sword to use, I'm going to teach you the stance. Stand up straight," Link did as he was told, and stood like stick. "Now, feet apart, go as wide as your pelvis, and one foot should be far in front of you. The other should be slightly behind you. Bend your knees," Belladonna told commanded, and Link noticed that this posture was much sturdier than the one he had before. She pushed him on the shoulder, but Link didn't budge. "Bend your torso slightly down, pelvis should be twisted so it doesn't point forward, but it's to the side." After a few moments, she looked him over, and smiled. "You have a natural talent for this. Let's see how you work with a sword," she tossed Link a wooden sword, gripping it with one hand, the left, and it felt right, as if he was meant to work with weapons.

Belladonna came at him with like a savage beast. Her talent with a sword was unearthly. She came at him with a downward strike, swinging her sword swiftly upon him, but he blocked it and forced her away with such ferocity that she was sent reeling backwards to the far end of the room. She regained her balance, and ran at him, intending to jab him in the stomach, but Link shrank back, inhaling deeply so his stomach would retract to refrain from contact. If he got hit, then the game was over. Her slice missed by only a handful of inches, and Link flicked his sword skyward, clattering underneath Belladonna's own, her sword flying out of her hands. Belladonna's eyes flickered, and Link could almost see a hint of fear in them, but she rolled around him, snaring her sword again, and sat there, resting on one knee, waiting for him to make a move. Link jumped towards her, swung his sword from the right, but Belladonna deflected the strike, her sword pointed downwards. Link retreated, and Belladonna stood up, pointing her sword at him, and grinning a grin fit for the devil himself. She swung her sword wildly from left to right, standing upright, and sending Link into a defensive stance. Link repelled all strikes, trying to find an opening, a flaw, in her defense. Then he realized the key to winning this game. Link veered to the right, rolling under, avoiding another hit from Belladonna, and placed himself at her back. He spun behind her, securing the sword at the base of her throat. "Drop the sword," he growled, and Belladonna had obeyed. "Game over," Link declared with a smile on his face. He drew his weapon away, and threw it on the ground. Belladonna turned, her face pale and her eyes wide, with a hand slowly creeping up to the base of her throat, the other held out to Link, and Link shook it. "Yer a savage beast with a weapon," Link admitted, and she cackled.

"What about you? I can tell that this was your first sword fight, and you're a natural! You even beat me, of all people, and I've been practicing for over twenty years! There's something unearthly about how incredible you are with a sword…" Belladonna said, and lost herself in thought, but quickly came back with a shake of her head. "Has to be," she mumbled, and Link became curious. "You don't need my help anymore. You could face a thousand monsters and come out victorious, young hero," Belladonna said, and Link wondered what everyone meant by 'young hero'. Belladonna chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "Now that I think about it, I just might know where Echo and Alyx are," Belladonna confessed, and Link yelped. "Come with me," she said, and Link picked up Alyx's satchel, and followed his new friend, and unexpected ally into the forest.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Purge Us Of Darkness and Bring Forth The Light**

The birds sang the forest hymn, making Zelda awake from her tranquil slumber. It was dark, and she knew instantly that it was night. The side of her face was on the ground, and Zelda smelled the fresh scent of the Earth. Her fingers tangled themselves with the emerald blades of grass. Her hair fanned out behind her, slightly fluttering with the swift breeze that grazed past her. Zelda blinked for a moment, wondering where she was, before realizing everything that had happened. She was in a small grove, with taller, lighter green grass, and a small, dead tree was in it. She sat up, rubbed drowsy eyes, every movement was lethargic, even though her mind was moving rapidly in her head.

Then she stopped to look at her hands. They seemed different… Zelda looked at herself, her legs and arms were longer than they used to be, and her hair was very long, it reached the small of her back. Her clothes were different. She was still wearing the clothes she wore earlier, except that they had shrunk, and some of it had ripped. Zelda's feet were bare foot and were also bigger. The weirdest thing was her chest. Instead of the usual flatness, Zelda had breasts. She squealed, a bit in delight and a bit in fear. This wasn't right.

"I see you're awake," a smooth, deep voice said from behind her, and Zelda felt arms wrap around her. Zelda wished those arms were Link's but she knew they weren't, for when she looked at them, they were a tannish-red, with pale yellow lines in them, and Zelda knew that the person holding her was Echo.

"Why did you take me away?" Zelda asked him quietly, and he softly chuckled. "Why am I different? You did something to me, didn't you?" Zelda cried, a tear falling down her cheek.

"Yes I did. I wanted to see you as you are meant to be, so I made you look older. And you are knockout. Magic can do anything you know," Echo whispered in her ear, and Zelda felt trapped. Echo noticed that she was crying, he wiped away the tear with the pad of his thumb, and kissed her on the cheek. "You don't need that blasted hero, I am the only one you need…" Echo said, his voice trailing off.

"No you aren't, I need so much more than the likes of you," Zelda said angrily, as the tears kept coming, her voice slightly catching in her throat. She sniffled, and hated herself for being so weak. Echo sensed her vulnerability and pushed her down, placing himself on top of her.

"Are you so sure about that?" Echo said, and looked down at her. "I may be a tree, but as I said, magic can do anything," Echo continued, and then kissed Zelda on the lips, and then moving down to her neck. It made Zelda cringe, she didn't like the feel of him kissing her. She wanted, no, needed only one person to kiss her. "You are a beautiful creature," he said, "I should keep you this way." Echo said, and Zelda felt his hand pull slowly up her shirt, and she started to push him away, which only provoked him more. He smirked, and grabbed both of her hands, pulling her arms above her head, and continued his movement. Zelda was sobbing now, and she was far too weak to pull herself free. His jade eyes stared into hers, and Zelda watched as Echo's looks started to flicker from the normal tree-spirit, to a dark colored man with red hair. This man's skin almost looked green, and he was extremely muscled. His ears were small and rounded, and he had an extremely pointy nose, that slanted down so that it just barely covered his smile. He wore some type of armor, that covered his shoulders and knees, and leather armor covered his chest and legs. His forehead was bejeweled with a yellow looking stone, and his eyes gleamed ruby red. This man was colossal, and Zelda knew that she'd probably never get away from him, but she had to try. Zelda kicked him in the groin, and he let go of her arms.

Zelda scrambled away from him, running through one of the tunnel-logs she had encountered when her and Link first entered the forest, and decided that she'd take a left. She ended up in the middle of an empty space in the middle of the forest. Zelda took another left, for the left log seemed brighter than the other two. She could hear deep laughter behind her, and she ran even faster. Once out of the log-tunnel, she found herself in another empty place in the forest, but she couldn't tell which way to go, for every way she looked, it all looked the same.

'Go right,' a voice whispered on the wind, and Zelda obeyed. She never wondered why she obeyed, but instead just went forward, her mind on getting away from the man and Echo. She never wondered why they changed looks, she didn't want to know. It was unnatural. Zelda entered the tunnel on the right, and when she emerged from the darkness, she found herself about to enter a maze. But upon entering, she realized that it was not a maze, no, it was incredibly easy to get through. Some kind of leafy red monsters popped up out of the ground, and shot seeds at her, but it didn't hurt much. Eventually Zelda ended up at a staircase, and climbed it with ease, since these were nothing compared to all the steps in the castle. Once at the top, she ran across a flat, narrow passage, and then found herself climbing up another staircase. Once at the top of the second staircase, Zelda realized that she was trapped.

The vicinity around her was, in fact, quite large. But there was nowhere to hide. It was an open, jade tinted grove, with ivy climbing up the rock walls, and up above was a broken staircase, and it never reached the ground. In the middle of the clearing was an odd pedestal like thing, with a design on it. Zelda took cautious steps inside the clearing, and finally she stood upon the dais. The power of it surged through her, causing her to faint, shrouding her dreams in darkness and smoke.

'It's dark, so very dark…' voices cried, 'no light, no hope…' more voices cried out. Then someone shushed them, telling them to go away. The voices quieted themselves, but they didn't leave. Zelda's eyes popped open, and stood up. She was a place that no one had been before. The dais that Zelda had stood on before had turned into three golden triangles, with a white one in the middle. And the rest of the place had different colored dais's all around. She counted them all, there were six of them; a red one, a blue one, a purple one, a bronze one, a white one, and a green one. And then Zelda noticed a girl standing on the green one. She smiled at Zelda, but Zelda didn't trust it. Zelda couldn't trust anything now, not after recent events.

The girl had green hair and blue eyes, and was tiny. Zelda could tell by her green clothes that she was Kokiri. But what was a Kokiri doing here? Even better, why was Zelda here?

"I realize that you're scared," the girl said calmly, "but you have nothing to fear here. This is the Chamber of the Sages. There is no safer place for you, bearer of wisdom." The girl smiled, and started to introduce herself. "My name is Saria, I am the Sage of Forest Temple, and I am the one that called you here," Saria said, and paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath. "This place is dying, the world is dying, even the forest, which seems so lively is dying," she paused, her voice catching in her throat. Saria then sighed, and continued. "Ganondorf is the key to our undoing. You, and the hero, are our last and have always been our only hope," Saria said, her voice breaking. Zelda wondered if her acting was no good, or every magical creature knew that she wasn't a boy. Then she remembered that at the moment, she looked and felt older, so currently her question was unanswerable. "I myself am dying," Saria told Zelda, pulling Zelda out of her thoughtful state. Saria's knees buckled underneath her. She lay on the dais, her spirit starting to crumble, and the Chamber of Sages had darkened, until everything was black. The last words Zelda heard from her were: 'Purge us of the darkness and bring forth the light.'

Zelda awoke on the sigil, her eyes and mind both as groggy as her body was sore. She shifted uncomfortably, until she rolled of the dais and onto softer, but still uncomfortable ground. The wonderful scent of the earth fully awoke her mind, and everything that had happened flooded her mind. Zelda pressed her fingertips to her lips, and wept. The world she knew before, a kind and gentler world was now replaced by a cruel, heartless, and barren land. And Zelda felt terrible about it. It left her previous, life-drunk self behind, and now a new and sober person had arisen inside of her. Life was just as grim as she was.

Zelda closed her eyes, and wished that this day had never happened, even with Link being so protective of her, she wished with all her heart that it had never happened. But fate couldn't even give her the time of day, so why would she expect her wish to be granted? The world was downright cruel. Zelda laid on the ground, watching a peaceful breezed rustle the blades of grass, and watched a couple of leaves dance on the wind. It felt like an eternity had passed, but in reality, less than a day had. The moment was peaceful, and if Zelda had to choose a moment that would last forever, it would be this one. After a while, Zelda felt herself drifting into a peaceful slumber, and never wanted to wake up.

It was daylight now. An entire night had passed and Link didn't even notice. He was too preoccupied with recent events.

Belladonna and Link were both traveling in the Lost Woods, searching for Alex. How Belladonna had known to look here was beyond Link, but he was grateful for the help, and for the company. The Lost Woods was creepy, and as the name suggests, it was easy to get lost.

"Just follow me, okay? We really don't need to run into some skull kids right now," Belladonna said, and he heard her mutter under her breath 'annoying little devils,' and Link smiled at the comment.

Belladonna had led him through the forest, but it seemed as if they weren't getting anywhere. It was just the same place over and over again. In the lost woods, nothing made a sound, not even wildlife. The only thing that Link could here was the sound of his and Belladonna's feet pounding against the ground.

"Are you sure we're goin' the right way?" Link asked Belladonna, and she stopped.

"Yes. I've gone through the Lost Woods many times," Belladonna said quickly, and Link wondered what for, so he decided to ask.

"Why would'ja need to go through this place? It's creepy," Link asked.

"To you. I find it peaceful. That is my only reason why," Belladonna asked, and emphasized the word 'only.' That made Link suspicious, but he kept that to himself. Suddenly his attention was taken away from Belladonna to the sound of a booming laugh resonating through the woods. "Did you hear that?" Belladonna asked Link, and he nodded.

"What do we do?" Link asked her.

"Find the source! It's got to lead us to Alex!" Belladonna told him, and raced off, trying to find where the laugh came from. Link followed her, the trees and abnormal sights he was passing become a blur. Belladonna suddenly stopped in front of another tunnel-log, and Link ran into her, tackling her to the ground. "Hey! Don't you know when to stop?" She asked him, pushing him off of her.

"Why'dja stop?" Link asked her.

"Because I think this is where the laugh came from," she said, and Link stood up. He looked at the darkness of the log, and stepped inside, with Belladonna right on his heels.

The area before him was like a small meadow. Tall green grass filled the place, and a dead looking tree stood to the side. Flowers grew here and there, adding a bit of color to the otherwise jade tinted grove. But Link didn't focus much on the area before him, because a man stood in the middle of it all, laughing a malicious laugh, and smiling a foul grin. He was dark skinned, almost green, small rounded ears, and his head was covered in red hair. He wore some weird type of spikey armor on his shoulders and knees. Leather armor covered his chest and legs, and some of it looked bejeweled. He wore circlet-like type of jewelry on his forehead, and it shined in the sunlight. He was extremely muscled, and he was incredibly tall. The man was a beast.

"Ah, it's the hero, come to save his little friend," the man mocked, and Link put a defensive stance. "You think you can fight against the great Ganondorf?" The man laughed.

"That's your name? Ganondorf? Sounds more like Ganondork," Link heard Belladonna's voice behind him, and Link stifled a laugh.

"Curse the Kokiri!" Ganondorf yelled, and held out his hand, growing some form of dark magic in it. It was a ball, a dark black ball, and Ganondorf threw it at Belladonna.

"Run!" Link heard himself yell, and Belladonna dodged the dark ball, running away. Link looked at where the dark ball hit the ground, and the grass there was dead. Instantly he knew he was glad that Belladonna was no longer there.

"You annoy me," Ganondorf said to Link, and threw a dark ball at him. Link hit it with his sword, and sent the magic back to its creator. Ganondorf laughed at this, and hit it back. 'Is this a game?' Link asked himself as he hit the ball back. This went on for some time until Link hit one of the dark balls hard enough that Ganondorf didn't realize that it was coming until too late. The dark ball hit him, and he collapsed against the ground. "Hit by my own magic. You win, for now young hero," he said, and his form disappeared, revealing another in its place. The person stood up, and Link knew it the instant he saw his skin: Echo.

"You!" Link yelled, and pointed his sword at him.

"I'm sorry for all of this! Really!" Echo said, and Link suddenly was confused. Echo's voice sounded higher pitched, and it fit him much better than his other voice. "I see you're confused… hmm, where to begin… Aha! Okay, long story short, Ganondorf was using magic to use me to kidnap your friend, and… Ah! I have to return what he stole!" Echo exclaimed, and Link was even more confused, and Echo noticed. "Before I do that, I'll explain myself properly. Ganondorf controlled me like he would a puppet, and he used me to kidnap Alexander, and to attack you. I'm so sorry for this!" Echo said, and gave Link a pleading look.

"I don't trust you," Link said quickly, and Echo nodded.

"I know, and I express my deepest regrets to you for these recent events, but I have to go!" Echo said quickly, and faded out of sight.

"Ugh! Why is everything so freakin' confusin' lately?!" Link yelled, and kicked the ground with his foot. Link stepped out of the small meadow, and ended up taking a wrong turn, landing himself back at the Kokiri Tribe. "This sucks," Link said, and sat down on the ground. Without a guide into the Lost Woods, he'd never be able to find Alyx, or Belladonna now. So he decided to wait until they came back.

Of course Zelda woke up. Life pretty much hates everyone, even though everyone loves life; Zelda was no exception to life's hatred. The way Zelda woke up, though, is a way no one should ever be woken up. A boot stomped on Zelda's stomach, forcing all of the air out of her lungs, and her eyes burst open, seeing the world in a hazy, but bright light. She coughed and gasped for air, and a soft hand patted her on the back. Zelda turned to look who had done this to her, and when she did, she took in a sharp breath. It was Belladonna Nightshade.

"Sorry, but the only way I could get you to wake up was stomping on you," she said, and laughed nervously.

"I-It's okay, I d-don't wake easily…" Zelda said nervously, and twirled a strand of her hair. Belladonna looked her over with a suspicious look, and Zelda didn't like it.

"I didn't expect to see another person here," Belladonna told her. "What an odd day," she mumbled to herself.

"You haven't seen a small boy around here, have you? He's got blonde hair and blue eyes like you. His name is Alexander," Belladonna asked Zelda, and Zelda gulped. It was impossible to get around this situation without revealing her true self to yet another person.

"Uh…"

"Spit it out,"

"I'm Alexander," Zelda said quickly, and looked down at herself. "I know that it seems crazy, but it's true. I can prove it," Zelda said, and Belladonna kept a blank stare.

"Prove it," Belladonna concluded after a few moments of silence.

"When Link and I first walked into the Kokiri Tribe, you pointed a knife at us, and made us drink a truth potion. Before we visited the Noble Deku Tree, you placed a knife at my throat, making me bleed a little," Zelda told her, but she didn't seem convinced, and Zelda knew how to convince her. "You would've noticed me in the forest by now, you would have seen me walk here. I couldn't have just appeared out of nowhere, I have no magic to do so," Zelda concluded.

"You make a good point, but if you are Alex, how did you end up this way?"

"The tree did it. He used some type of magic on me," Zelda said hurriedly, and Belladonna shook her head.

"That doesn't explain the breasts," she said, and pointed at Zelda's chest.

"I'm a girl. My father didn't want a princess, so he made me pretend to be a boy. I guess I pull it off well, even though I've already had three people say I'm a girl without me telling them," Zelda said quickly, her fingers intertwining with each other nervously.

"Hmmm… You know what? That does make a lot of sense. You did look pretty girly. And it explains why Link was so protective of you," Belladonna said, and Zelda shook her head.

"Link doesn't know," Zelda said.

"That's surprising." Belladonna commented, and yawned.

"He doesn't know. I don't know why he was so protective of me, but he doesn't know."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Zelda replied, and nodded her head. "Do you know how to return me to normal? I don't want anybody else to know, not yet. I'm not ready," Zelda said, and Belladonna shook her head. "No? Wonderful. Ugh, I wish I could get these things off my chest!" Zelda exclaimed, and cupped her breasts with her hands.

"I don't know, they kind of work for you. Maybe you should stay a girl," Belladonna said, and shrugged.

Zelda didn't agree with Belladonna, and would have responded, but she didn't get the chance to argue. Echo had done his appearing act, and turned his head towards Zelda. She backed away quickly, and Echo stayed put.

"What did Link do to you?" Belladonna asked him, and put a fighting position, her daggers ready to strike.

"He freed me from that wretched being called Ganondorf," Echo said, smiling at Belladonna.

"Oh, you mean Ganondork? Huh. Was he controlling you or something?" She asked, and Echo nodded. "I knew it! Something seemed wrong with you earlier, and I couldn't tell what it was!"

"That's my girl. I knew I taught you well," Echo said to Belladonna and she giggled. Then he turned back to Zelda. "I'm so, so sorry for what I did to you while I was under Ganondorf's control! I only came back here to tell you that, and give back what he stole," Echo said, and sent a glowing white ball towards Zelda. It was slow, and it hit Zelda in the chest.

At first felt odd. There was a buzzing in her head, and tremors shook her arms and legs. Belladonna screamed to her, but Zelda didn't hear her, because she was too busy screaming from the pain. The pain was mostly in her arms and legs, but it was in her chest as well. Zelda thought she was going to die. There was a white light forming around her, blinding the both of them. Zelda took the pain, and waited for the light to die down. When it did, the pain subsided, and Zelda slowly sat up.

She at herself, and was surprised. Her breasts were gone, and she was back to her original size. Her clothes fit her again, and Zelda was much more comfortable. The only thing that hadn't changed was Zelda's hair, which was still long, and reached her knees now that she had grown shorter again.

"I've given back what was stolen. I have no longer need to be here," Echo said, and faded from sight.

"What was that all about?" Belladonna asked.

"I don't know, but you should definitely believe I'm Alyx now," Zelda said, and laughed. Belladonna joined her laughter, and Zelda had unknowingly made a great friend.


End file.
